The Child Archive
by Stelthykat
Summary: Set after Ivey is kidnapped in Small Favors. Spoilers! A tale from Ivey's perspective of her past, her present, and her future. Subjected to torture Ivey wonders what makes her her, or is she just the information of the world? Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

*** The Dresden Files do not belong to me. Ivey does not belong to me. **

**SPOILER ALERT FOR Small Favor! Read at own Risk! By the way I'm still reading as of now so for any mistakes please forgive me! Lol just another one of those plots that wouldn't shut up! **

_Italics is thoughts/inner archive voices_

_**Demons that are sealed in the coins speaking**_

Ch I

Alone. Dark. Alone. I knew all this at once. I also knew that in Alabama a woman was signing over the rights to her newborn baby because she couldn't take it anymore. I knew that here in Chicago, right here, a man at a law firm was writing a legal contract for his boss who was in some financial trouble.

_I, Lindsey West, do hereby sign the care of my child, Matthew West, over to the state…_ I drowned out the rest. Think… think…. I hesitated to open my eyes. Hesitated to see Kincaid dead and Mr. Dresden cut to pieces.

_My dear sister, I miss you sooo much! You really need to call me!_ I coughed as stale air hit my lungs. _I'm going to die. They don't know I know, but I do know it…_ I tried to tune it out, tried to be a small child who was scared, tried to be anything but the Archive.

"Archive…" a voice drawled lazily, "it's time to wake up. Archive. C'mon now-you don't want to make us upset!" false humor. Great. The sound of a scribbling pen on paper and suddenly I just knew.

_Archive. Wake up. You know it's for the best. C'mon little Archive. Get up and play nice and then you'll be rewarded._ I shut my eyes tighter and winced as the words made an imprint on my mind. _Archive. Archive. Archive!_ I snapped my eyes open to make it stop.

"Ah! There we go." A shadowed figure straightened up and laid the pencil down. "Now let's begin Archive." I lowered my gaze to the floor and felt my body shake.

"What's wrong?" the voice sounded unsympathetic.

I knew what was coming. I remembered, clear as day that one time when I'd been five someone wrote something on torture. He'd been kept in a solitary room and: _had been beaten until my ribs were cracked, and my leg was broken from the knee down. My wrist was broken, then removed with a hack saw and my eye-_ I tried to not dwell on that one that much.

"I know they'll come for me." I whispered, keeping calm. The same man that had been tortured had said that when he was calm they left him alone.

"No one will come Ivey," the shadow whispered, "because you are all alone. You don't have a family. You're the Archive. You're not allowed. Not anymore."

That was right… I was alone… my family was all gone… everyone….


	2. Chapter 2

Ch II

_The Archive is a family lineage. It is your destiny and hence your future. You will in time live a normal life and have a normal family, and in time you will pass it on to your child. That is the sole purpose of the Archive. _

Those words were ancient and yet new. Something my grandmother had spoken to me when I lie cradled in her arms, merely a babe. Something that she would never tell me again for she was dead before I was coherent enough in this world to understand people.

I vaguely remember some of my childhood. I remember flowers and mother being unhappy. I remember her face would always be sad when she looked at me.

In those early days she would occasionally tell me about my grandmother, tell me stories that her mother had passed to her.

"I remember that she would tell me facts, tell me about whatever it was that popped into her head."

"Popped?" I would ask, always.

"….Yes…. popped." And instinctively I always knew that _that _was what an Archive was, just a ball of thoughts that 'popped' into its brain, its soul… its anything. And then she would cry.

It always made me sad to see her that way… she was so young, well, older than me, but still young. And for a young person to be so sad? For a mother to be so sad? To a child of five that didn't make any sense.

I remembered that once when my mother was crying she bemoaned the fate of having a daughter, lamented day in and day out and then would say the 'naughty words' about her mother. I was standing outside her bedroom door one night when I heard her cry out.

"Why! Why! She could've lived! She could've been here! I could've had a life! _She _could've been happy!"

When you're a child you don't ponder over things like names for very long. You also don't question why you don't have a grandmother.

"Mommy?" I asked one morning, fiddling with my food.

"Hmm?" her monotone reply would constantly choke my next question.

"What happened to Granny?" her eyes would go downwards and her hand would shake.

"She was killed."

"Killed?" I couldn't comprehend it. What did killing mean?

"_Take out the Archive, take out her bodyguard, take her out and leave no trace for the White Council!" _her voice echoed into a crescendo and would make me crouch in a corner, it was almost as if she was reading it aloud.

And then she stopped, catching her breath and crying.

"Go to your room." She breathed out, and I obeyed.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch III

I have no name. My mother never named me, and now looking back I realize she always must've known what she was going to do. Even if it would take the next year for her to do it.

"Why don't I have a name?" I asked idly one day. "You have a name."

"No, I don't."

"How come on the mail it says-" she stared at me sorrowfully. "Why don't I have a name?" I asked again.

"You do, in a sense…" her voice was merely a whisper and was half hearted. "You are the Archive."

That word made me shudder. It promised so much, but yet I didn't know what.

"So my name's Archivey?" I added a 'Y' because she'd drawled it out.

She smiled at me slightly and nodded. "Possibly."

I didn't know that a day later Kincaid would come for me.

Then again, I didn't know that a day later my mother would be dead in the next room, just like my grandmother. And I didn't expect to wake up to a burning pain in my head that could not be contained.

And I didn't know that on day three of the headache I'd be reborn as the Archive, no family, no friends, simply one body guard and a lost childhood; a lost life.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV

I remember vividly that the next morning when I awoke to the dull pain in my head Kincaid was sitting beside me, staring at something unseen in the opposite wall.

I groaned as words inscribed themselves on my brain, _help me! Why did you leave me, Tony? Take care of the Archive-_

"No!" I jolted upright and grasped at my head. "Make it stop!" I was screaming myself hoarse at this point in time and couldn't block out the noises that bombarded my brain. _Dear God Jane's gone round the bend! I don't want to die! Today was great!_

"Archive!" hands gripped my shoulders and shook me a little. _Jesus Christ she was only a child. SHE should've known better!_ I didn't have to ask who the 'She' was, my mother could be the only possible woman. "Archive?" I'd stopped screaming and had simply curled into a ball, one hand still present on my shaking shoulders.

"Make it stop…" I wailed, coughing down my tears. "Please…. Please…." The hand tightened a fraction of an inch and a slow voice whispered out.

"I can't."

"Yes you can!" I spat back, "Adults can-!" and the noises stopped. I gagged to say it simply. Think of whiplash and then times it by ten and you will know what it feels like to have such the noises (no matter how infernal they may be) stop suddenly. I wanted them back.

_Oh dear lord she's taken the kids. I wonder if he'll propose tonight? I hope that Sara doesn't want Chinese… I'm so stuffed from that one place…Dear God, let my mommy and daddy live._

"Archive?" the voice resounded above my head.

"Yes…?" my whimpers ceased and I felt something strange pull me forward, something twist my gut until I straightened out my emotions.

"Are you well?" In that second I simply knew that Kincaid was not human-that he would never be human-and that my grandmother had trusted him most of all. I found it odd that then, being so little and helpless with this new power, that because my grandmother had trusted this man that I also should as well.

"Yes… Kincaid…" I saw a ghost of a smile flicker on his lips, then disappear into something more serious.

_Do you take this woman to be you're lawfully wedded wife….? That woman, forcing this on her own flesh and blood. Pitiful. Mommy came home today! What is you're final answer-?_

"Kincaid?" I concentrated on him and not the noise.

"Yes Archive?" I pondered for a moment and then decided.

"There is no going back, is there?"

"No, Archive." I sighed slowly, then laid back.

"_Pitiful. Forcing this on her own flesh and blood._" I hadn't meant to say what the noise had repeated. And I wish there were words to describe how horrified Kincaid's face was when they left my lips.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch V:

***Okay, so I'm seriously debating whether or not to end this soon… hmmm…. Just as a brief fair warning: I've finished Small Favor and hence will hopefully be focusing more on Dresden!**

"_But Ivey wasn't, and Ivy controls the Archive. She's still a _child_. That child can be hurt. Frightened. Coerced. Tempted."_

_~Harry Dresden, Small Favors  
><em>

I became vaguely aware of the pain outside my body. I still fended off the threats and mental terrorism they put on me. And instead I turned my thoughts to Harry Dresden. I remembered the note he wrote to me. I remembered getting it in a time when I was pretty sure that my bones were broken in several places.

_You are not alone._

But I am, Kincaid was dead, is dead, and I'm alone. Even Mr. Dresden can't save me. Even if I survive I have to go on living the life of a mother, a father, a sibling, and a lover. I have to deal with pain and suffering and hope. And-

_Kincaid is alive. I'm alright. We're coming after you._ I chocked on a sob that echoed around my throat as another mental barrage hit me.

_Give up, Give up, give up! Your own mother couldn't bear the sight of you! Weak, unworthy, come with us, relish in power! _

_Don't listen to them. Hang on. _

_Join us!_

_We're coming. _I almost blacked out as another outside wave of pain hit me, as my insides curled up from the blow and as my mind steadily drifted back towards Mr. Dresden.

_You are not alone. _

But I was, wasn't I? They weren't here now, they were simply on their way… there was no one now…


	6. Chapter 6

Ch VI

The first time I met Harry Dresden had been in McAnnaly's pub. Of course, I'd gathered bits of information about him from what the Council had written.

_Untrustworthy. Sneaky. Dangerous. _

So I had brought along Kincaid. For the past few years he had been my guardian, watched out for me. I don't dwell on those years however, because though I always had a person by my side the life of the Archive was lonely, and because of it any hope of a childhood or a normal life was gone.

When I'd met with Harry Dresden though, and he'd spoken my new name, _Ivey_, I had hope for my future. I had hope that maybe I could still have friends and family, and live a somewhat normal life.

_Wake up Archive… Don't leave me!... Wake up Archive…. I promise…. _

Then again… maybe not. Maybe all that made me, Ivey, was the collection of other peoples notes, others feelings. None of it my own. None of it truly Ivey. So what was I? Old magic that, when it was its host's turn to die, would simply pass on to another? Or was I simply as Dresden had once said? "_A child._"

I fought for the bliss of unconsciousness; I fought to not listen to their words, and instead focused on Mr. Dresden's.

_We're coming._

But would you come in time? For once would Kincaid fail me?

I also remembered that Harry Dresden had fought tooth and nail to never go back on his word. I also knew that the Council had written him off for it as well, with one, simple word: _Reckless._


	7. Chapter 7

Ch VII

I remember that after that first meeting with Harry Dresden we'd gone home. Home was and probably still is a little apartment that the Council provides us with. Home is not warm and friendly, but cold and uncomfortable.

It was also filled with three Wardens and one Council head.

"Archive?" the elderly man asked, his voice void of all emotion, "we've received word that you have met with Harry Dresden."

"Yes, sir." I nodded my head respectfully towards him and thought of my new name. _Ivey_.

"Do you not realize the threat he poses not only to us, but you as well?" his eyes narrowed.

"Yes sir, but I did have Kincaid-"

"Archive!" the man snapped, "Harry Dresden is a crime to all wizards, he is a force to be reckoned with. You are the Archive, and until you have your own children you must stay alive!"

My retort was lost on my tongue as it hit me. I was a cow for slaughter. I was one pebble on an endless beach. It was my lineage that mattered, not my spirit.

"Dresden is unpredictable, dangerous. And you must take care of yourself…" I lost my hearing as the thoughts echoed about my head.

_Is there a God?... I wonder why the rich get everything in life…. Why is my mom sad?... She said yes, thank god! I'd be up shit creek if she'd said no!... I hope to God they don't find me…. Dangerous….. reckless….. vile… _

"Archive!" the man was now standing in front of my face and snapping his fingers.

"Sir…" I fought to keep my eyes open.

"Yes?" he growled out.

"I am going to finish my homework. Please leave." I did something that I had never done before, I turned my back on the Council, I showed disrespect and forced myself to be normal. I loved homework, I loved school. The magic inside of my head though was a different matter.

"Archive!"

"It's Ivey." I threw back, then paused.

_Make your own path! It doesn't matter what they think!... I hope she's okay….. she acts just like her brother! _

Maybe Harry Dresden was starting to be a good influence on me.


	8. Chapter 8

Ch VIII

***Just as a small note: all updates on this and any story will be few and far in-between! Sorry! But due to massive school work and National Novel Writing in a Month (Nanowrimo) there is hardly any time left! Lol sorry people but my brain is jumping to my novel instead of fanfic at the moment! But everything will resume in December! **

Ever since then the Council had tried to keep me away from Harry Dresden. The only problem was that I found him interesting. The only human being that had treated me as an equal and not as soley the Archive had earned a special place in my heart. At the Council's and Kincaid's insistence I stayed away from Dresden as much as I could but at my insistence that Kincaid refrain from calling me Archive, and instead call me Ivey.

I remember that I had dropped Harry many tips over the years, and I'd begun to find that I was a person too. I was excellent in calculus, I preferred people who weren't too controlling. I wasn't simply magic, I was a _person_.

But now… now I was in a cold, dank place that tortured me endlessly. I was alone. The voices in my head were the only things I thought that were keeping me sane.

That and the fact that Dresden was coming for me. I wouldn't be alone for much longer. _Just hang on Ivey_, I recalled Dresden's words. _Just a little longer._

I do believe that it was after I met Harry Dresden and saw what good people could do. I saw for the first time a person that had the potential to make a difference. As my age increased and my knowledge of the world increased (well, outside of the views I got from the Archive) I saw that I was a person, that I was developing a personality.

And then the issue of the future took away all the bliss.


	9. Chapter 9

Ch IX

All my grandmother and mother had been were magic. All I was was magic. It didn't matter how much of a personality I had, or how strongly I tried to repress simply being the Council's tool. In the end I still head the voices.

_Why can't this feeling just leave me? Does he know about the baby? Thank God! He's so hot! I hope I get to the bank on time…. Dear Mommy….._

In the end I was still the child left in the cold room and cage and stone cold floor. I was still being hurt and not giving in, I was still waiting for the savior I'd put all my hope on. I was still waiting for the pain to stop.

_He's a traitorous snake, Dresden is. Reckless. Dear God…. Archive? Are you listening? Join us and forget about him. Please help me! You understand don't you?_

I stayed quiet and fought back tears. I was strong. I could overcome this. Harry Dresden would come. After all, he'd saved his friends daughter. He'd stood up in front of the entire Council and had saved a misguided life.

_Reckless. Dangerous. Watch closely._

That's what they'd said. That's what the Merlin had written down. That's what they'd warned me about. What they hadn't warned me about was how Harry Dresden was kind. How he saw more than just magic in me and that was something that only Kincaid had done in my entire life.

I remember opening my eyes as I was sat in a chair roughly, hearing the sounds of fighting and Dresden's shouts. Felt the searing loss of hope as I realized that all I was was magic, a tool, a weapon. It briefly crossed my mind that I could end it. With me ended all of this pain and joy and suffering. If I died now than no one would ever be able to use this power for evil or good.

_Will anyone remember me when I'm gone?_ _Why do we all have to be forgotten eventually? Who will ever know my story? _

I will. I thought back. I will remember everyone. Every man, woman, and child who had died or would die. I would remember everything they'd ever written, recall diary entries and journals and books they'd written but never published. I'd always know their names. Always know what they stood for.

"Ivey!" was I Ivey? No. The voice calling me that was a traitor… reckless… dangerous. "Ivey!" I felt hands on my shoulders and instinctively tensed up. I could never be Ivey. I was only the Archive. I didn't care about Calculus and relationships and people. I cared about the data. I couldn't see and blacked out as hands picked me up and footsteps signaled that the savior was running with me.


	10. Chapter 10

Ch X

***Well, I think that this will be the final chapter… the story just seems complete to me for some reason (though I had intended it to be longer ****) anyways: enjoy! **

I heard the hum of the voices, felt the mattress sink as a weight laid down at me side, felt the warm breath ghost over my neck and as I opened an eye halfway I saw that I was not in my home, I was in Harry Dresden's.

_I hope the weather holds for the wedding. I wonder if Tom knows I love him? I want tonight to be special. Is it true about Marcone? _

I closed my eye again and listened as Dresden's voice reverberated around the room. I turned into the shoulder that was pressed to my neck and instinctively knew it was Kincaid, alive and…. Recuperating.

If I was only a tool could I feel like this? I nestled closer to him and allowed myself to drift. I wasn't only an Archive. The Council could say whatever they liked about me, they could call me a tool and the Archive and be disappointed in my human behavior. I at least knew the truth… then again, maybe Dresden did to. Maybe he already knew that I was human. Maybe he and Kincaid had both known that I wasn't just the Archive. Maybe that was what had led to my mothers demise… maybe she just hadn't been able to cope with both. With being human and the rest of the worlds writings. As I lay nestled closer to Kincaid, with Dresden and his friends voices drifting over me I realized something about my past, present and future.

My past was painful, but what past isn't? They shape who we become in the future, it weeds out the weak and the strong. It set me up to be able to grasp all of this.

My present is a potential. I am surrounded by friends who care, who see me for who I am, and not for what was forced on me. I'm content with this.

My future is a possibility. What future is set in stone? Right now I am certain that I will find who I am as I become better at sorting through the voices and the now. And I am certain that when the time comes I will be able to forge my own path.

Because what is a human who doesn't learn? And what is an Archive who can't cope? Nothing. That's what. And I am and forever will be Ivey before the Archive.

_I'm so proud of him! Why can't my dad be like Johnny's? I wonder how long grammy will live? My boy is so smart! _

As I drifted off to sleep I felt contentment in the voices. I would retain what information I wanted to pass on. I would always remember them. I would never simply be alone. I was surrounded by people who care. Dresden, Kincaid, people who were willing to risk anything to save the child I was, and not just the Archive. People who cared…. Family who cared.

_I couldn't be happier, I couldn't be happier! I wonder what's for dinner? I hope that I pass the test tomorrow…. I wonder if the baby knows what I'm thinking right now? Why does mom not see me for a person instead of for a certified genius? _

Because everything's changing…. And for better or for worse I knew what my name was.


End file.
